Birmingham.
The Tragedy of Polidus (Vol. vii., p. 499.).—This tragedy, printed at London 1723, 12mo., has a farce appended to it called All Bedevil'd, or the House in a Hurry. Browne was patronised by Hervey, the author of the Meditations. The scene of the drama is in Cyprus. The lover of Polidus, "the banished general," and Rosetta, daughter to Orlont, chief favourite to the king, form the groundwork of the plot. My copy was formerly in the collection of plays which belonged to Stephen Jones, author of the Biographia Dramatica.
J. Mt.
Robert Fairlie (Vol. vii., p. 581.).—In answer to the Query as to Robert Fairley, or more properly Fairlie, I may mention that there is in my possession a presentation by the Faculty of Advocates, dated July 27, 1622, to "Robert Fairlie, son lawfull to Umquhill Robert Fairlie, goldsmith, Burgh of Edinburgh, to the said bursar place and haill immunities quhill he pass his course of Philosophie," in the College of Edinburgh. This undoubtedly was the author of the two very rare little poetical volumes referred to; and it proves, from the use of the word "Umquhill," that his father was then dead.
There is an error in stating that the Kalendarium is dedicated to the Earl of Ancrum. In the copy before me it is inscribed "Illustrissimo et Nobilissimo Domino, Domino Roberto Karo Comiti a Summerset," &c. The other work is the one dedicated to Lord Ancrum. I have both works, and they certainly were costly, as I gave five guineas for them. They had originally been priced at ten guineas.
A Bursary, according to Jamieson, is "the endowment given to a student in a university, an exhibition." It is believed that Fairlie was of the Ayrshire family of that name.
J. Mt.
"Mater ait natæ," &c. (Vol. vii., pp. 247, 248.).—When calling attention to these lines in "N. & Q." (Vol. vii., p. 155.), I at the same time asked if such a relationship as that mentioned in them was ever known to exist? This Query was very kindly and satisfactorily answered by your correspondents Anon and Tye. But, remarkable as were the instances mentioned by them of the two old ladies in Cheshire and Limington, who could speak to their descendants in a female line to the fifth generation, still that I am now to record of an old man in Montenegro is much more singular, as he could converse with his lineal descendants in an uninterrupted male line one generation farther from him, (i. e.) to the sixth. The case is too well authenticated to admit of a doubt, and until some one of your correspondents shall favour me with another equally to be credited, it will remain in the columns of "N. & Q." as the only one known to its readers:—
"Colonel Vialla de Sommières, a Frenchman, who was for a long time governor of the province of Catano, mentions a family he saw in a village of Montenegro, which reckoned six generations. The venerable head of the family was 117 years old, his son 100, his grandson 82, great-grandson 60, and the son of this last, who was 43, had a son aged 21, whose child was 2 years old!"